Melissa Iqbal

Times are hard for little Sofia, as the Greek recession is taking its toll. With her Father out of work, they rely solely on Greedy Grumpy Granny's pension. Desperate times call for desperate measures; to what extremes will they go, when Granny is no more?

In a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth' - a highly-developed robotic servant that's so similar to a real human it's transforming the way we live.

In the last years of Victoria's reign, London is beset by the "Touched": people — mostly women — who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities, some charming, some very disturbing. Among them are Amalia True, a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair, a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of… well, pretty much all the forces — to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.